Allah's Apostle was informed that I have said: "By Allah, I will fast all the days and pray all the nights as long as I live." On that, Allah's Apostle asked me. "Are you the one who says: 'I will fast all the days and pray all the nights as long as I live?' " I said, "Yes, I have said it." He said, "You cannot do that. So fast (sometimes) and do not fast (sometimes). Pray and sleep. Fast for three days a month, for the reward of a good deed is multiplied by ten time, and so the fasting of three days a month equals the fasting of a year." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I can do (fast) more than this." He said, "Fast on every third day. I said: I can do (fast) more than that, He said: "Fast on alternate days and this was the fasting of David which is the most moderate sort of fasting." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I can do (fast) more than that." He said, "There is nothing better than that."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say, "O Allah! Do not let me be slain by the hand of a man who has prayed a single prostration to You with which he will dispute with me before You on the Day of Rising!"

I went on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah (saws), and I was present with him at the conquest. He stayed eighteen days in Mecca and prayed only two rak'ahs (at each time of prayer). And he said: You who live in the town must pray four; we are travellers.

Abu Dawud said: A dumb animal means an animal which is free and has not tether, and there is no one (as a watchman) with it. It causes harm by day and not by night.

Some slaves (of the unbelievers) went out to the Messenger of Allah (saws) on the day of al-Hudaybiyyah before treaty. Their masters wrote to him saying: O Muhammad, they have not gone out to you with an interest in your religion, but they have gone out to escape from slavery. Some people said: They have spoken the truth, Messenger of Allah, send them back to them. The Messenger of Allah (saws) became angry and said: I do not see your restraining yourself from this action), group of Quraysh, but that Allah send someone to you who strike your necks. He then refused to return them, and said: They are emancipated (slaves) of Allah, the Exalted.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al- Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to the jews of Khaybar on the day of the conquest of Khaybar, "I confirm you in it as long as Allah, the Mighty, the Majestic, establishes you in it, provided that the fruits are divided between us and you." Said continued, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to send Abdullah ibn Rawaha, to assess the division of the fruit crop between him and them, and he would say, 'If you wish, you can buy it back, and if you wish, it is mine.' They would take it."

I came to Medina when an epidemic had broken out. While I was sitting with `Umar bin Al-Khattab a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, "It has been affirmed to him." And another funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, "It has been affirmed to him." A third (funeral procession) passed by and the people spoke badly of the deceased. He said, "It has been affirmed to him." I (Abu Al-Aswad) asked, "O chief of the believers! What has been affirmed?" He replied, "I said the same as the Prophet had said, that is: if four persons testify the piety of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Paradise." We asked, "If three persons testify his piety?" He (the Prophet) replied, "Even three." Then we asked, "If two?" He replied, "Even two." We did not ask him regarding one witness.

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Three men from among those who were before you, set out together till they reached a cave at night and entered it. A big rock rolled down the mountain and closed the mouth of the cave. They said (to each other), Nothing could save you from this rock but to invoke Allah by giving reference to the righteous deed which you have done (for Allah's sake only).' So, one of them said, 'O Allah! I had old parents and I never provided my family (wife, children etc.) with milk before them. One day, by chance I was delayed, and I came late (at night) while they had slept. I milked the sheep for them and took the milk to them, but I found them sleeping. I disliked to provide my family with the milk before them. I waited for them and the bowl of milk was in my hand and I kept on waiting for them to get up till the day dawned. Then they got up and drank the milk. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from our critical situation caused by this rock.' So, the rock shifted a little but they could not get out." The Prophet added, "The second man said, 'O Allah! I had a cousin who was the dearest of all people to me and I wanted to have sexual relations with her but she refused. Later she had a hard time in a famine year and she came to me and I gave her one-hundred-and-twenty Dinars on the condition that she would not resist my desire, and she agreed. When I was about to fulfill my desire, she said: It is illegal for you to outrage my chastity except by legitimate marriage. So, I thought it a sin to have sexual intercourse with her and left her though she was the dearest of all the people to me, and also I left the gold I had given her. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the present calamity.' So, the rock shifted a little more but still they could not get out from there." The Prophet added, "Then the third man said, 'O Allah! I employed few laborers and I paid them their wages with the exception of one man who did not take his wages and went away. I invested his wages and I got much property thereby. (Then after some time) he came and said to me: O Allah's slave! Pay me my wages. I said to him: All the camels, cows, sheep and slaves you see, are yours. He said: O Allah's slave! Don't mock at me. I said: I am not mocking at you. So, he took all the herd and drove them away and left nothing. O Allah! If I did that for Your Sake only, please relieve us from the present suffering.' So, that rock shifted completely and they got out walking.

Allah's Apostle said, 'Nations were displayed before me; one or two prophets would pass by along with a few followers. A prophet would pass by accompanied by nobody. Then a big crowd of people passed in front of me and I asked, Who are they Are they my followers?" It was said, 'No. It is Moses and his followers It was said to me, 'Look at the horizon.'' Behold! There was a multitude of people filling the horizon. Then it was said to me, 'Look there and there about the stretching sky! Behold! There was a multitude filling the horizon,' It was said to me, 'This is your nation out of whom seventy thousand shall enter Paradise without reckoning.' "Then the Prophet entered his house without telling his companions who they (the 70,000) were. So the people started talking about the issue and said, "It is we who have believed in Allah and followed His Apostle; therefore those people are either ourselves or our children who are born m the Islamic era, for we were born in the Pre-lslamic Period of Ignorance.'' When the Prophet heard of that, he came out and said. "Those people are those who do not treat themselves with Ruqya, nor do they believe in bad or good omen (from birds etc.) nor do they get themselves branded (Cauterized). but they put their trust (only) in their Lord " On that 'Ukasha bin Muhsin said. "Am I one of them, O Allah's Apostle?' The Prophet said, "Yes." Then another person got up and said, "Am I one of them?" The Prophet said, 'Ukasha has anticipated you."

The Prophet said, "Allah will say to the person who will have the minimum punishment in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, 'If you had things equal to whatever is on the earth, would you ransom yourself (from the punishment) with it?' He will reply, Yes. Allah will say, 'I asked you a much easier thing than this while you were in the backbone of Adam, that is, not to worship others besides Me, but you refused and insisted to worship others besides Me."'

Yahya related to me from Malik from Damra ibn Said al-Mazini from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that ad-Dahhak ibn Qays asked an-Numan ibn Bashir, "What did the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, use to recite on the day of jumua after suratal-Jumua (Sura 62)?" He said, "He used to recite al-Ghashiya (Sura 88)."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not pray dhuhr and asr on the day of the Trench until after the sun had set."

Malik said, "The hadith of al- Qasim ibn Muhammad from Salih ibn Khawwat is the one I like most out of what I have heard about the fear prayer."

The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor (forerunner) at the Lake-Fount, and whoever will pass by there, he will drink from it and whoever will drink from it, he will never be thirsty. There will come to me some people whom I will recognize, and they will recognize me, but a barrier will be placed between me and them."

I heard the Prophet saying, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount (Kauthar), and whoever will come to it, will drink from it, and whoever will drink from it, will never become thirsty after that. There will come to me some people whom I know and they know me, and then a barrier will be set up between me and them."

I said: Messenger of Allah, to make my atonement complete I should divest myself of my all property as sadaqah (alms) for Allah and His apostle. He said: No. I said: The half of it. He said: No. I said: Then a third of it. He said: Yes. I said: I shall retain the portion I have at Khaybar.

I asked: Messenger of Allah! tell me if someone enters my house and extends his hands to kill me (what should I do?) The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: Be like the two sons of Adam. The narrator Yazid (ibn Khalid) then recited the verse: "If thou dost stretch they hand against me to slay me." [5:28]

The Prophet said, "If anyone of you on having sexual relations with his wife said (and he must say it before starting) 'In the name of Allah. O Allah! Protect us from Satan and also protect what you bestow upon us (i.e. the coming offspring) from Satan, and if it is destined that they should have a child then, Satan will never be able to harm that offspring."

A son of one of the daughters of the Prophet was dying, so she sent a person to call the Prophet. He sent (her a message), "What ever Allah takes is for Him, and whatever He gives is for Him, and everything has a limited fixed term (in this world) so she should be patient and hope for Allah's reward." She then sent for him again, swearing that he should come. Allah's Apostle got up, and so did Mu`adh bin Jabal, Ubai bin Ka`b and 'Ubada bin As-Samit. When he entered (the house), they gave the child to Allah's Apostle while its breath was disturbed in his chest. (The sub-narrator said: I think he said, "...as if it was a water skin.") Allah's Apostle started weeping whereupon Sa`d bin 'Ubada said, "Do you weep?" The Prophet said, "Allah is merciful only to those of His slaves who are merciful (to others).

A group of Jews came and invited the Messenger of Allah (saws) to Quff. So he visited them in their school.

They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Messenger of Allah (saws) who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it saying: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee.

He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik from Nafi'(No. 4431).

Yahya related to me from Malik from Dawud ibn al-Husayn from al- Araj from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abd al-Qari that Umar ibn al Khattab said, "Whoever misses reading his hizb at night and reads it from when the sun has passed the meridian until the dhuhr prayer has not missed it, or it is as if he has caught it."

A man passed by Allah's Apostle and the Prophet asked a man sitting beside him, "What is your opinion about this (passer-by)?" He replied, "This (passer-by) is from the noble class of people. By Allah, if he should ask for a lady's hand in marriage, he ought to be given her in marriage, and if he intercedes for somebody, his intercession will be accepted. Allah's Apostle kept quiet, and then another man passed by and Allah's Apostle asked the same man (his companion) again, "What is your opinion about this (second) one?" He said, "O Allah's Apostle! This person is one of the poor Muslims. If he should ask a lady's hand in marriage, no-one will accept him, and if he intercedes for somebody, no one will accept his intercession, and if he talks, no-one will listen to his talk." Then Allah's Apostle said, "This (poor man) is better than such a large number of the first type (i.e. rich men) as to fill the earth."

The Prophet (saws) said: Do not prevent anyone from going round this House (the Ka'bah) and from praying any moment he desires by day or by night. The narrator Fadl (ibn Ya'qub) said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Banu Abdu Munaf, do not stop anyone.

Rabi'ah reported on the authority of more than one person saying: The Messenger of Allah (saws) assigned as a fief to Bilal ibn al-Harith al-Muzani the mines of al-Qabaliyyah which is in the neighbourhood of al-Fur', and only zakat is levied on those mines up to the present day.

The Verse of Al-Hijab (veiling of women) was revealed in connection with Zainab bint Jahsh. (On the day of her marriage with him) the Prophet gave a wedding banquet with bread and meat; and she used to boast before other wives of the Prophet and used to say, "Allah married me (to the Prophet in the Heavens."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to sacrifice goat out of every fifty goats.

Abu Dawud said: Fara' means the first baby camel born (to the Arabs). They used to sacrifice it for their idols, and then eat it, and its skin was thrown on a tree. 'Atira was a sacrifice made during the first ten days of Rajab.

I saw `Uthman performing ablution; he washed his hands thrice, rinsed his mouth and then washed his nose, by putting water in it and then blowing it out, and washed his face thrice, and then washed his right forearm up to the elbow thrice, and then the left-forearm up to the elbow thrice, then smeared his head with water, washed his right foot thrice, and then his left foot thrice and said, "I saw Allah's Apostle performing ablution similar to my present ablution, and then he said, 'Whoever performs ablution like my present ablution and then offers two rak`at in which he does not think of worldly things, all his previous sins will be forgiven."

That the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Goodness will remain in the forelocks of horses until the Day of Judgement: (They bring about) Rewards and spoils of war."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from Ibn 'Umar, Abu Sa'eed, Jarir, Abu Hurairah, Asma' bin Yazid, Al-Mughira bin Shu'bah, and Jabir.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. 'Urwah is Ibn Al-Ja'd Al-Bariqi, and they say he is 'Urwah bin Al-Ja'd. Ahmad bin Hanbal said: "The Fiqh of this Hadith is that Jihad is with every Imam until the Day of Judgement."

I saw the Prophet on the Day of (the battle of) Al-Khandaq, carrying earth with us and saying, "By Allah, without Allah we would not have been guided, neither would we have fasted, nor would we have prayed. O Allah! Send down Sakina (calmness) upon us and make our feet firm when we meet (the enemy). The pagans have rebelled against us, but if they want to put us in affliction (i.e., fight us) we refuse (to flee)." (See Hadith No. 430, Vol. 5).

That the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The forelocks of horses contain good until the Day of Judgement. The horse is for three (purposes): It is for one man a reward, and it is for one man a shelter (from poverty), and it is from one man a burden. As for the one who acquires it for the cause of Allah and then prepares it for that; it is for him a reward, nothing disappears into its stomach except that Allah writes it for him as a reward."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Malik bin Anas narrated similar to this Hadith from Zaid bin Aslam from Abu Salih from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (saws).

The Prophet (saws) said: When any of you hears the summons to prayer while he has a vessel in his hand, he should not lay it down till he fulfils his need.

The Prophet said, "Traveling is a kind of torture, as it prevents one from sleeping and eating! So when one has finished his job, he should return quickly to his family."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "When a sick man is unable to prostrate he should motion with his head, and not raise anything to his forehead."

Allah's Apostle said, "If you want to put on your shoes, put on the right shoe first; and if you want to take them off, take the left one first. Let the right shoe be the first to be put on and the last to be taken off."